Chapter 757 - Limits on the Mysterious Island

Seeing Aoki walking towards the island, the Unown that was next to him hesitated for a moment before attaching itself to his wrist, just like the three Unown before it.

Aoki looked at his wrist in surprise and found that there were now four Unown symbols imprinted on his skin.

What is the purpose of these Unown attaching themselves to me? Aoki still didn't understand why they had chosen him.

At first, he thought it was just a coincidence, but judging by the way this new Unown had joined the others, it clearly wasn't random.

Is there something about me that attracts them? Or did they simply pick me at random to rest on?

Even Aoki himself found that explanation hard to believe.

When his psychic powers had been on the verge of breaking through to the intermediate level, the Unown had played a significant role in his progress.

They don't give without reason—there must be something they want in return. But will I be able to fulfill their demands when the time comes?

For now, he pushed those thoughts aside.

Since the Unown were willingly aiding him, they likely meant him no harm—at least not yet. Perhaps they even intended to help him grow stronger so that he could better serve their purpose in the future.

Four Unown should be much more powerful than three.

Silently considering this, Aoki led Slowking forward onto the island.

The Unown hadn't given him any directions, so he had no choice but to explore on his own.

As an island that might have never been visited by humans before, it was possible that it held resources comparable to those of Neverland—though the strength of the wild Pokémon here remained unknown.

At the moment, Aoki only had Slowking to rely on for both combat and mobility.

As soon as he had set foot on the island, Aoki had left a psychic marker with Slowking.

In case of an emergency, they could Teleport away at any time.

Besides, Aoki doubted he could fully explore such a large island in just a day or two. He might have to leave midway through and return later—if the Unown allowed it.

If I was able to enter once, I should be able to come back again.

Just as Aoki expected, he didn't have to wait long before encountering his first wild Pokémon.

And it was one that surprised him.

Bronzong!

Bronzong was a Pokémon that had existed since ancient civilizations and had survived into the present day.

In ancient times, it had even been worshipped as a harvest deity, believed to open portals to other worlds to bring rain. Its rain was said to nourish crops and ensure bountiful harvests.

Thinking about it now, the "other world" Bronzong supposedly accessed might have been a different dimension—meaning this Pokémon could potentially travel between dimensions.

Though it would probably need to be much stronger to do so.

When Bronzong spotted Aoki and Slowking, its red eyes flickered, and it immediately unleashed a surge of psychic energy, shaping it into a sharp arrow that shot straight toward Aoki.

Slowking reacted instantly, darting in front of Aoki just as Bronzong attacked.

Raising its arms, Slowking formed a psychic barrier, blocking Bronzong's strike—but not without difficulty.

The sheer force of the attack pushed Slowking back nearly two or three meters.

Just from that first exchange, it was clear that Bronzong had the upper hand—even against Slowking, who was at the Quasi-champion level.

Pokémon: Bronzong (Dark Green)

Gender: Genderless

Level: 57

Type: Steel/Psychic

Ability: Levitate

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Block, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Tackle, Confusion, Hypnosis, Imprison, Confuse Ray, Extrasensory, Iron Defense, Feint Attack, Safeguard, Future Sight, Metal Sound, Gyro Ball, Psychic, Payback, Heal Block

Learnt Moves: Stealth Rock, Iron Head, Gravity, Iron Defense, Zen Headbutt

TM Moves: None

A level 57 Bronzong—a Pokémon whose strength had reached Quasi-champion, and not a weak one at that.

Aoki didn't know much about Bronzong, but after befriending Steven, he had made an effort to study Steel-type Pokémon.

He wasn't sure if it was to better understand potential opponents in case he ever had to battle Steven—or if it was simply to help Steven consider which Pokémon might best complement his team.

Either way, encountering a Bronzong in the wild wasn't something that happened every day. These Pokémon didn't have fixed habitats.

Bronzong was the evolved form of Bronzor. As a Steel/Psychic-type, its typing was identical to Steven's Metagross.

Just like Metagross, Bronzong had excellent defensive resistances.

Only Ground-, Ghost-, Fire-, and Dark-type moves would deal significant damage—everything else would be either neutral or, in the case of Poison-type moves, completely ineffective.

And Slowking's strongest Psychic-type attacks would be resisted four times over.

The very first Pokémon on this island is already this troublesome?

But one thing puzzled Aoki: Bronzong were typically docile and lazy Pokémon. Why had this one attacked him on sight?

Is it because I'm an outsider?

He didn't have time to dwell on it—Bronzong was already preparing its next attack.

Aoki quickly grabbed two Poké Balls from his waist and threw them onto the ground.

Drapion and Florges materialized beside him.

Still, Aoki worried that Slowking, Drapion, and Florges might not be enough. He reached for his belt again—but his expression darkened.

A series of words had just appeared in his mind—written in the Unown's unique script.

The message was clear:

On this island, you may only summon three Pokémon at a time. You may switch them out, but no more than three can be active simultaneously. Additionally, all spatial storage devices will be rendered useless here.

Being limited to three Pokémon was one thing, but his storage items losing functionality?

Aoki's gaze shifted to the small backpack on his shoulders and the ring on his finger.

He tried accessing their storage space—but nothing happened.

His expression grew even grimmer.

This place has so many restrictions? Why?

But before he could think further, Bronzong struck again—this time not with a simple psychic blast, but with a fully formed Psychic attack.

"Drapion!" Aoki commanded sharply.

Understanding immediately, Drapion rushed forward, crossing its pincer-like claws in front of its body to block the incoming attack.